Basketball's best forward and guard

Chapter 86 87 [Peak vs Peak]

"Kawhi used the fadeaway jumper that we were all familiar with. As people have emphasized more than once before, he is the one who uses the fadeaway jumper most like Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant in the current league. "

"In the past two years, he has been seeking improvement on the offensive end. He is no longer a tool man who can only contribute to the defensive end. Strictly speaking, since last season, he is the most comprehensive offensive and defensive player in the league. guy"

"This is why many Spurs fans still can't forgive Zaza Pachulia, because he almost ruined Kawhi Leonard, ruined a league superstar, before this game, we have been saying , Kawhi Leonard is the absolute leader of this team today, but to be honest, I think the performance of the Bayonet is better than him, and the performance of the Bayonet is more like a leader”

"Everyone has seen the intensity of this game. For the players on both sides, this is not only a matter of winning or losing the game, but also a battle of honor. In this case, Kawhi Leonard must win. To show his peak state, he must show his energy before he was injured. Only in this way can the Spurs have a chance to win the game. If he is still waiting for the bayonet to fight the Warriors' Big Four alone, then in this game they will have a chance to win the game. must lose"

Shaq O'Neal's words were very sharp. Although he saw the factor of the peak Leonard from the backward jumper just now, he still directly said that this is not enough, Leonard must perform better OK.

However, what Shaquille O'Neal didn't know was that the real Leonard was actually officially back when he hit that extreme fadeaway jumper just now.

So far in this game, not only Drummond Green and Stephen Curry on the Warriors side are back, but Kawhi Leonard on the Spurs side is also back.

This also means that this game will only be more intense than people imagined.

Kawhi Leonard scored 3 points alone in the next 9 minutes, helping the Spurs to overtake the score, and his popularity completely ignited the passion of the home fans.

From Matt Bonner's point of view, it's been a long time since he has seen such a common enemy at the AT&T Center.

And this seems to be a kind of historical reincarnation.

The San Antonio Spurs are the representative of the veteran Western Conference, while the Golden State Warriors are the newly promoted overlords in recent years. The grievances between the two teams should have gone deep into the sea. This is like the relationship between the Spurs and the Los Angeles Lakers. The grievances between them are the same.

"Man, that's where we stand, I bet right, it proves me Gregg Popovich was right, the real Kawhi is back, the guy who can do it all is back, when we meet After returning to the real Kawhi, why can't we win this game?"

On the Spurs bench, Popovich held Messina's hand excitedly. Perhaps Gregg Popovich didn't really feel that the San Antonio Spurs really had a chance to reach the finals until now.

The entire second quarter became Leonard's personal performance show. Without Jiang Hao on the stage, he led the team to play the whole game alone. He scored 16 points in the entire second quarter.

Although, at 56:54, the Spurs only achieved a 2-point lead, but Leonard's outbreak obviously had a major impact on this game.

Stephen Curry and Draymond Green, and even Kevin Durant continued to maintain a good state in the second quarter, but in the face of the sudden outbreak of Leonard, as many people feel, It is the best result for the Warriors not to fall behind by a big score.

But frankly speaking, from Steve Kerr's point of view, this is not what he wants to see, because Leonard's threat in his heart is no worse than a bayonet from the beginning to the end. A fearful Spurs player.

He Cole is happy for the bloody return of Curry and Green, but at the same time he is also troubled by Leonard's return.

How terrible is a Leonard at his peak, Steve Kerr, and even the entire Warriors learned something last season.

And, don't forget, the old fox Gregg Popovich didn't let the bayonet play in the entire second quarter. In this way, the threat of the bayonet, which has been able to save money, will not be too small in the second half of the game.

Although the assistants told him that the third quarter has always been their advantage, Cole was still a little worried. He was very aware of the particularity of today's game. This particularity might not be based on the title of "Brave and Three Crazy" It can be cracked.

Popovich, who has never liked to make remarks during the intermission, made an exception tonight. When the players had just returned to the locker room, he came to the middle of the locker room and immediately signaled to everyone.

"Boys, I am amazed by your performance in the first half of the game. To be honest, this series has reached this point. We are making history every step of the way. Who are our opponents? They are golden players with four All-Stars. State Warriors, they're the defending champions over the top, no one is looking at us, no one is choosing to be with us before this series starts but ourselves"

"But now, we lead 2-0 overall, even in this game, we are still leading at halftime, boys, what does this mean? I think everyone knows that for so many years, the San Antonio Spurs have always been A strong team in the league, to put it bluntly, we are a strong contender for the championship almost every season, but we did not win the O'Brien Cup many times in the end. I have to admit that this is a pity. The regret of this team is the regret of the city of San Antonio, and it is the regret of Gregg Popovich, so let's fight, this season, we don't want to regret anymore..."

Popovich's passionate speech filled the entire locker room. He didn't talk about how to play the game next, but just told everyone that he didn't want to have any regrets this season.

Jiang Hao's heart became heavy, because he knew exactly what Popovich meant when he said this sentence.

He clearly remembers that in the in-depth conversation he had with Popovich in March, Popovich once told him that the reason why he was reluctant to leave the job with his 3-year-old body was that Just want to win another championship.

Frankly speaking, at that time, Jiang Hao was already shocked by Popovich's ambition, and that was one of the reasons why he really began to weigh on Popovich from the bottom of his heart.

A 70-year-old man is still eager to win, so why should he, a young man in his 20s, not fight hard?
Maybe Popovich didn't expect the Spurs to go so far this season when he said this, and they would really have a chance to touch the O'Brien Cup.

But Jiang Hao now understands in his heart that maybe 10 minutes ago, Popovich had made up his mind, maybe this season is the last moment of his coaching career.

From an emotional point of view, Jiang Hao doesn't want Popovich to leave the league, because of this, he can even deliberately not win the game.

But he can't do this, because from another level, he has to go all out. This is the greatest respect for Popovich, and it is also the best retirement gift he gave to the old man.

Therefore, a scholar dies for his confidant.

Jiang Hao gritted his teeth, he was already prepared for the cruelty of the second half of the game, but he will not return until he breaks Loulan, he will go all out.

In fact, the atmosphere in the Spurs locker room at this time seemed very calm, but the desire to fight in everyone's eyes was unprecedented.

Especially Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker, plus the three veterans of LaMarcus Aldridge.

.........

In the visiting team's locker room, Steve Kerr was actually not idle. He was making the final arrangements with the assistants. It looks more relaxed.

As for the mobilization work, Drummond Green is also doing it at the moment. Green is standing in the middle of the locker room. He directly told Kevin Durant that the team will play offensive basketball in the third quarter. Rant doesn't want to stick to the ball too much, he even hopes that Durant can play the role of Barnes.

Cole didn't interrupt Green, and Teacher Du didn't show obvious dissatisfaction, because the Warriors' former "Five of Death" were indeed the biggest reliance on their rise, and they are relying on this at this most critical moment. There is no problem with relying on it.

.........

"It's hard to say, we have to admit that the two teams have played their true level in the first two quarters, whether it is Stephen Curry's outbreak or Leonard's return, we have seen the true For them, the current point difference is very tight, and the Spurs are only leading by 2 points. From another perspective, they are not even leading.”

"In the upcoming third quarter, Steve Kerr can rely on Stephen Curry, he can also rely on Kevin Durant, Draymond Green, and even I have a feeling that Klay Thompson will wake up, and For Gregg Popovich, he can rely on Kawhi Leonard, or China Jiang, who has been resting for a long time, and don't forget that Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker are still there. , veterans like them have the ability to defeat the enemy with one blow."

"So, this is really an unpredictable game. To be honest, I think it is normal for the public opinion on who will win in the end, and I believe that the fans of the two teams can also accept it, because everyone has seen the players at their peak. performance, and saw their all-out effort.”

In the TNT live broadcast room, the three old partners rarely joked anymore, but seriously analyzed the final trend of the game.

(End of this chapter)